It's that day again - Mother's Day. Only, for some, there is nothing "happy" about it. It is supposed to be that sappy, heart-warming day where mothers are celebrated, and all is flowers and sunshine. But for too many of our readers, Mothers Day is a very tough day. For some, it may be the hardest holiday of all. This is for you.
The right of the natural parent to the care and custody of his or her child is considered a fundamental right in the United States. In spite of that, a New York Kings County Supreme Judge in Brooklyn has slammed the door on an American father’s right to parent is own children – solely it seems because he is blind. The judge, in this case, would insert “able” and in particular “sighted” in front of “natural parent.” “No vision, no children” sums up the Court’s decision, upturning decades of civil rights progress and common sense. Somehow the fact that tens of thousands of blind parents raise their children every day without “sighted supervision” was lost to the judge. Christopher G. Roberts has over 23 years of experience in professional theatre. He is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Steppingstone Theatre Company (SSTC), a not-for-profit arts organization. He has an MFA degree in acting from Brooklyn College and a BA degree in theater from the University at Buffalo.
Current laws in the United States that give legal authority to social workers and law enforcement to remove children from their families and place them into foster care often use the term "in the best interest of children." This sounds like a noble reason to take children away from their families, but what do measured outcomes of such actions really instruct us about the definition of "the best interest of children"? Are children truly better off in foster care than they would be if they had stayed with their natural parents who are accused of some "abuse" or "neglect"? Let's take a look at some statistics to find the answer to that question.
Friends of the Naugler family in Kentucky reached out to us and asked us to tell their story. Their 10 homeschooled children were allegedly taken away by Breckinridge County Sheriff deputies and CPS this week, allegedly acting on an anonymous tip. The officers reportedly had no warrant to enter their property. Nicole Naugler is currently 5 months pregnant, and reportedly attempted to drive away from the property with a couple of the children. Officers allegedly detained her from leaving her own property, and when she objected to them taking away her children, they allegedly "slammed (her) belly first into the cop car and bruised and scraped on both arms." They also allegedly arrested her for "disorderly conduct" when she objected to them taking away her children, and spent the night in jail. All ten children are reportedly now in State custody. Much of the encounter with CPS and the Sheriff deputies was recorded, and the recordings are available on the Save Our Family blog.
Chris and Kathy Butner of Ohio answered their door one day and found two policemen and Child Protection Services there to take away their 5 children. They asked "why," but no explanation was given. They were told that "everything was going to be just fine." They reportedly complied with everything CPS told them to do, and CPS allegedly told the parents that reunification was the goal. But their children were apparently being told by their foster parents that they were going to be adopted. They were frightened, and their parents told them not to worry, as they would soon be home. Originally accused of Munchausen by Proxy, Kathy says the court later found no evidence of abuse or medical neglect. But apparently that did not matter. Their visits to their children were cut off, and the children were adopted. Chris and Kathy have been told there is nothing that can be done for them now that they have been adopted, and that they should just move on. They ask, "How? Could you just move on?" Kathy still hears her oldest son saying, “I thought you made me a promise?” Those words don't go away for Kathy and her husband. There is no closure for them. Not a day goes by in that home that was once filled with their children’s laughter where the silence continues to take over their minds. Their children have now been led to believe that they have stopped fighting. They want their children to know they have not stopped fighting, and they will not give up.
Fox 8 points out in their investigation that North Carolina rejects funding that would put children permanently with relatives instead of in foster homes. Grandparents who are able and willing to care for their grandchildren, for example, are routinely rejected by the State. Why? Melissa Painter of Fox 8 points out that in North Carolina more than 10,000 children are in foster care under the care of the State. This brings in more than $198 million of funding to take care of these children. Federal laws actually require States to give preference to placing children with relatives. There is even federal funding available to place the children with relatives in "permanent legal guardianships." But North Carolina (and many other states) do not follow this practice, because children put up for adoption bring in more federal funding. Instead of giving federal funds that can be designated for relatives in guardianships, they keep the funds for themselves to administer the foster care and adoption system. In short, a child put into the foster care system on the path to adoption, brings in more money to the State, and employs more people to "administer" these children.
The Giwa's are not the kind of parents who come to mind when you think Child Protective Services. “They're well educated they are hardworking people the mom actually has a PHD in special education dad works for an energy company here in Houston" says attorney Jon Parchman. The couple says they know their 19-month-old son is not developing like he should but say they've never gotten a medical reason for his developmental delays and say they've never denied him medical treatment. In court documents CPS admits the reason for the boy's developmental delays are not known but still that state agency is accusing the parents of medical neglect. As for the medical neglect the attorney says CPS's only witness in court was a doctor who never saw the boy or talked to the parents. “The most they really got was the hospital room was a little dirty that was the extent of what they proved in court,” Parchman says. “The judge said so you've proven there's a dirty hospital room that doesn't get us to danger in returning the child home.” Still the judge ruled in CPS's favor granting them temporary custody and only allowing the parents to see their son for one hour twice a week. “It's horrible he's never been without us he's my baby the entire family is a mess because of it we can't function,” Giwa said.
Investigative reporter John Boel has exposed much of the corruption taking place in the "child protection" system in Kentucky. His reports were broadcast in the local media, and include some amazing interviews with former CPS whistleblowers, documenting the depth of the alleged corruption within Kentucky CPS. In a report aired originally on WLKY Target 32 News, news anchors begin the story by explaining that the station had to go to court just to get permission to air their investigative report, because the State of Kentucky attempted to censor their report from the public. Reporter John Boel states that they were "being swamped with complaints" against CPS in Kentucky. He explains that his report gives an "in-depth look" into Kentucky CPS which exemplifies what they were hearing from so many other families who were coming to them. Boel reports that children are often removed quickly with no evidence of parental wrong-doing, and that the State retaliates against those who try to fight back.
Amber is one of those free-spirited people who takes even incredible hardships and turns them into adventures, inspiring others in the process. When her young family wound up homeless, through no fault of their own, she and her husband Krishna Mehta made the best of it. Their children didn't even know that they were homeless; they thought that they were having great adventures and making lots of friends. This latest chapter in their saga, however, is a nightmare, and the rainbow is really hard to find in the storm that Child Protective Services has allegedly brought into their lives. Their children, ages 6, almost 2, and 9 months, have been seized by CPS and placed into 3 different foster homes. The two babies were still being breastfed. Social services has gone so far as to accuse Amber of having a mental disorder because she is "homeless," even though the family RV they were living out of was apparently approved as "acceptable." Now under State control, Amber states that children are suffering poor health whereas before they were healthy, happy children. She was forced to consent to vaccinations against her wish, under threat of being charged with "medical neglect."
Throughout history, people have taken a stand for their faith which oftentimes resulted in unfavorable consequences for the individuals. For disabled veteran David Owen and his wife Teresa, their refusal to stop practicing their Christian faith was ultimately used as a rationale in Kansas Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) seizing custody of their two special needs daughters, Angel and Catrina. According to Teresa Owen: ''Our daughters were wrongfully removed from our home because we refused to stop attending church and teaching our daughters about Christ. Angel and Catrina are being wrongfully kept out of our home, abused, and medically neglected. We are still fighting for our daughters and trying to help other families.'' Their children were taken at the beginning of 2011. To this day, they are not home, and Teresa and David are fighting to regain custody of their daughters. They believe their daughters are being abused both physically and emotionally in State custody, and are pleading with people to get their story published.
Mothers from across the country are appalled at the outrageous action of the schools and police, when they seized an 11-year-old child and arrested his mother after he defended medical marijuana during a DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) school drug presentation in Kansas on March 24, 2015. Is this freedom of speech? Does government encouraging children to spy and turn in their parents sound familiar? Sadly, the mother in this case who is a motivational speaker and author may face drug and child endangerment charges. She uses medicinal marijuana to help treat her Crohn's disease. Her son is in temporary protective custody, and the DA is considering removing him long-term from his home.
Kennedy May Willey suffered her first seizure as a child shortly after receiving the DTaP vaccine. Today she is a 7 year-old girl diagnosed with Dravet syndrome who has led a very active and "normal" life. They attribute much of their success to the GAPS diet. When her seizures recently increased, her parents found themselves in a hospital with what they believe was an over-zealous doctor that wanted to try a drug cocktail of treatments. Seeing her condition quickly deteriorate, they sought to transfer her to another facility. They were threatened with losing their daughter to CPS, so they hired attorneys to help them get her daughter transferred. The Willeys want to share their story with others as a warning to the dangers of medical kidnapping that so many other parents are facing today. Have we now come to the point in the United States that in order to get one's child transferred to another hospital or seek different treatment options that one needs to hire attorneys to do so? What about those who cannot afford attorneys?
In an unprecedented move, the federal government has ordered the Department of Children and Families to return a child to her mother. And on Tuesday, we are hearing for the first time directly from the child's family about their 2-year battle with the department. FOX25's Investigative Reporter Kerry Kavanaugh examines allegations the state discriminated against this young mother because of her disability. A newborn girl had yet to leave the hospital when DCF decided the 19-year-old mother, with an intellectual disability, was incapable of caring for her. The mother is publicly known by the pseudonym, Sara Gordon. Her battle to get her baby back is now seen as a victory for people with disabilities.
A Warren County (New Jersey) family is suing the state's Division of Child Protection and Permanency for alleged unconstitutional home intrusion and civil rights violations. Christopher Zimmer and his wife Nicole, of Belvidere, filed a civil rights complaint in United States District Court in Trenton against DCP&P. "I won't forget that morning for a long, long time," said Mr. Zimmer, thinking back to a Tuesday morning in January that began with a caseworker pounding on their door. Mr. Zimmer said that the caseworker demanded she be let inside, adding that the family did not have a choice. Startled by her aggression, Mr. Zimmer questioned why she was there. The Zimmers allege that the caseworker refused to answer the question, until later admitting that the homeschooling of 15-year-old Christopher Zimmer, Jr. was the focus of her investigation. Not knowing the extent of his rights, Mr. Zimmer called town police to sort out the matter, but police ultimately said the caseworker was allowed to come into the house. Their suit alleges that home schooling issues aren’t the responsibility of the DCP&P.
Georgia Senator Nancy Schaefer may have known more about State-sponsored kidnappings than any other politician in the United States before she was murdered in March of 2010. Her published report, The Corrupt Business of Child Protective Services, was a scathing expose on the terrible practice of State-sponsored child kidnapping. It was the basis for many lectures and interviews she gave on the topic, several of which are available on YouTube. She claims the report caused her to lose her Senate seat in the Georgia State Senate, but she stated: "However, there are causes worth losing over." This cause was so big however, that there are some who believe she lost more than just her job. They believe she lost her very life. In this article, we reproduce the message and work of Georgia Senator Nancy Schaefer. Her scathing report is included here, as well as a very comprehensive interview she gave less than 1 year before her death. Nancy Schaefer had first-hand knowledge that children all across the United States were being kidnapped and taken out of families by government employees for very evil purposes, including child sex trafficking.
Attorney Shawn McMillan is continuing his fight against the corrupt Child and Protective Services in California, and has now filed a class action lawsuit against Orange County California for allegedly seizing more 5000 children in State-sponsored kidnappings. This follows his December 2014 class action lawsuit against CPS in Riverside County in California, which is also accused of kidnapping "thousands" of children without cause.
Unable to pump enough breast milk for her prematurely born baby, the search began for an appropriate formula to feed baby Bella. Finding one that worked, they took their baby home in Alabama. A trip back to Massachusetts, their former resident state, to gather belongings and visit family members resulted in difficulties in finding the same formula they had used in Alabama. They found one that the baby tolerated, but a visit to the local WIC office in Massachusetts put them at odds with a pediatrician who insisted on changing her formula, one that baby Bella did not do well with as her weight allegedly began to decline. The parents decided to go back to Alabama immediately, to be with a pediatrician who was using the right formula. But Massachusetts DCF followed their case to Alabama, contacting Alabama DHR. Alabama DHR investigated the family, and cleared them after seeing how well the baby was doing. But this was not good enough for Massachusetts DCF, which allegedly threatened the family with criminal charges if they did not return to Massachusetts. The frightened family complied, and their baby girl was put into Boston Children's Hospital, where they soon lost custody. Now, Massachusetts DCF is planning to adopt out baby Bella.
On Friday April 17, 2015 9:00 a.m. the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit heard the Leanna Smith v. State of Arizona case in the medical kidnapping of Leanna Smith's two daughters by CPS and Arizona doctors. The contrast between the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and the Arizona Juvenile Courts is the difference between transparency and darkness; the difference between fairness and corruption; the difference between hope and despair. The entire trial was recorded in the court room in San Francisco, and you can view it here.
It was a heartbreaking case that ripped a 9-year-old girl from her South Florida family and sent her mother to prison for years. Exactly 19 years ago... Jennifer Bush was placed in state care amid allegations that her mother, Kathy Bush, was deliberately making her ill in an unusual — and some say now discredited — form of child abuse called Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. After shunning attention for years, Jennifer Bush is publicly defending her mom for the first time and agreed to release a written statement this week and answer a few, limited follow-up questions from the Sun Sentinel. "Jennifer made it very clear: She thinks her mother never abused her," said Fort Lauderdale lawyer Robert Buschel, who defended Kathy Bush in her criminal trial.
It has been more than three months since the dramatic arrest and capture of Erica and Cleave's 3 small children by CPS, where Erica shouted to reporters: "Send a message to America for me. Children don’t belong to the government. The government belongs to the people." After a period of media silence, Erica has reached out to the media. She says that the tyranny against her family is continuing, and she is exposing what she is calling "enslavement" by the system. The latest developments are that Erica and Cleave have been forced to separate as a condition to getting the children back, and the children are allegedly being medically abused while in state foster care.
